According to a new survey by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), more than one in three children – 34 per cent – feel unsafe using Britain’s parks some, or all, of the time.

For the survey, 211 children between the ages of 10 and 16 were interviewed by telephone in late June by Carrick James Market Research.

The most popular reasons given for children feeling unsafe were gangs, bullies and drunken youngsters, although two thirds of those surveyed – 76 per cent – said they would feel safer if parks were properly staffed with more park keepers.

However, according to further CABE research recently undertaken with 387 local councils, only a quarter of English parks are staffed throughout the day while another recent CABE survey of park managers revealed that on-site staff can have a major impact on the level of anti-social behaviour in parks.

According to CABE, where on-site staff were maintained in parks, 89 per cent of respondents said they felt that anti-social behaviour – such as vandalism – had reduced as a direct result.

In autumn 2005, CABE launched its Parkforce campaign, designed to champion the role of park workers in their local community and calling on local authorities across the UK to have dedicated staff present during daylight hours in every significant urban park. To date, more than 120 local authorities have signed up to the campaign. Details: www.cabe.org.uk